Servant In Shining Armor
by McDiggin'It
Summary: In a sick twist of life, Merlin finds himself naked. A series of events occur, in which he ends up in a Knight's armor, with no clue of how a Knight should be. No one knows that the Knight under the armor, is actually Arthur's manservant. MERGANA!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Servant In Shining Armor

…

Summary: In a sick twist of life, Merlin finds himself naked. A series of events occur, in which he ends up in a Knight's armor. No one knows that the Knight under the armor, is actually Arthur's manservant.

A/N: I really hope you guys like this first chapter. Let me know if you do! Quasi-sort-of-Knights-Tale plot, mixed in with a bit of Cinderella storyline. Thanks for reading and please leave a review!

-McDiggin'It

…

Chapter One:

…

In a sick twist of life, Merlin finds himself running down the halls of Camelot's castle, absolutely naked. No, he hasn't completely lost his mind… but he'll be bloody well on his way there if he doesn't find some clothes to put on soon. And this is all Kilgharrah's fault.

The new spell that Merlin learned from the Great Dragon today, is a very powerful one that could prevent him from getting burnt to a crisp. The spell worked fine in protecting him… but it did nothing for his clothes, which were incinerated on the spot. So now, Kilgharrah's having a field day, and Merlin is running up staircases and down hallway's, in his birthday suit.

The manservant ducks behind a pillar when he hears the numerous footsteps of guards coming down the hallway, and he prays to all that is holy in this world, that none of the guards will notice him trying to become one with the pillar.

The guards all pass him without noticing his lanky frame, and for once in his life, the manservant is extremely glad to be so skinny. After making sure that the coast is clear, Merlin continues down the hallway in the opposite direction of where the guards are headed, covering his manhood with his hands. He chants prayers and plea's to the Triple Goddess, that she may grant her favor upon him just this once, and let him get to his room without anyone noticing him.

And it's just his luck, that he hears more footsteps approaching. This time, he ducks into the alcoves and hides behind the hanging vines. He waits silently as more guards walk past him. He sighs when their footsteps pass. But then he hears another set of footsteps, this one much louder, and accompanied by the unmistakable clank of armor. Jousting armor to be exact… Of course, today is the jousting tournament, and Merlin inhales sharply upon the realization, that Arthur is probably looking for him. And it's just his luck, upon his inhalation of surprise, a piece of dust or something shoots straight up his nostril, causing Merlin to sneeze. He freezes, and his heart sinks when he hears the footsteps outside the alcove freeze as well.

Merlin resists the urge to groan, hoping that the Knight didn't hear him, but he highly doubts it.

"Who's there?"

Merlin doesn't recognize the voice, and he figures it must be a new knight from another Kingdom, only there for the tournament. The footsteps continue again, but this time, they move closer and closer to Merlin's hiding spot until the manservant could see a tall shadow standing right in front of him.

Merlin panics silently as he sees the silhouette of the Knight's arm move from his side, raising up in front of him, and wrapping around the thick vines currently covering him from view. In between panicking and utter embarrassment, Merlin reacts, his eyes glowing gold and his hand outstretching as he pushes magic out of himself and towards the Knight.

The Knight freezes, then slumps forward and directly into Merlin's arms. The manservant struggles to drag the unconscious and heavy Knight in further with him, before plopping him down against the wall.

Huffing tiredly, Merlin pokes his head out of the alcoves and checks that the coast is clear. Just as he's about to leave, the horns from the arena outside the castle sound loudly, signaling the final warning before the commencement of the tournament. Merlin panics some more as servants, maids, cooks, and a bunch of guards suddenly fill the hallways again, and he's forced to stay inside the little alcove with the unconscious Knight.

Merlin groans softly as he looks down at the Knight, and then realizes something. About 10 minutes later, the manservant steps out of the alcove, grinning from ear to ear as he glances down at his attire through the narrow slot of the burgonet helmet on his head. He momentarily wonders how the Knight could see anything through the bloody thing, then immediately feels bad for the unconscious and now naked Knight still in the alcove. He figures, the Knight won't miss much. Arthur will surely win this tournament anyway.

Merlin decides to go and watch the tournament first and change later, not wanting to miss the beginning of the tournament. He hobbles quickly down the hallway and towards the arena where the jousting tournament will take place.

He had always loved watching tournaments. It's hilarious, watching a bunch of armored men trying to smack each other in the face with long sticks.

Merlin grunts as he tries to straighten the breastplate of his borrowed armor. "How the bloody hell does this thing work?" he mutters under his breath as he tugs on the breastplate.

"Sir Zane!" a young man who oddly enough, looks a lot like George, races to his side and tugs on his arm. "I've been looking all over for you!"

Merlin's eyebrows furrow in confusion before it dawns on him. He's wearing a Knight's armor, and still has the helmet on his head, so all that could be seen, are his eyes. He looks nothing like the Knight whose name is apparently, Sir Zane. "Errr, I'm not—"

The George-look-alike waves a hand and shakes his head furiously, "There's no time, Sir Zane. We have to get you to your place. If you don't show up during the announcement of the competitors, you will be disqualified."

"But—" Merlin begins to say, but the man is already pulling him along.

"No time for discussions. If you get disqualified, your father will surely disown you."

Merlin's stomach sinks further as he lets the young man drag him towards a little booth, filled with blacksmiths, servants, a physician, and several other people whose jobs he doesn't know. If he doesn't go out to the tournament during the announcement of the Knights, Sir Zane will automatically be disqualified. And if he's disqualified, he might possibly be disowned by his father. _God, I never should've came here with the Knight's armor. Now I'm stuck in this mess, feeling guilty_.

Merlin gasps as another young man rushes to his side and looks up at his helmet. "Wildfire is ready for you, Sir Zane." the young man says with prideful eyes.

Merlin stares, not sure what the man is talking about. "Wildfire?"

The young man's eyebrows furrow together before he turns and points towards a single stable. "Your horse, Sir."

"Oh." Merlin's stomach flips as he swallows hard and tries not to pass out on the spot. He's been in countless situations where his life is in danger or something similar, but he had never been mistaken for a Knight before, and he had certainly never been in a tournament before. This is all completely confusing to him. "Errr, right. Listen," he pauses and tries to think of something to say. Maybe if he hurries, he can get the real Sir Zane to wake up, get in his armor, and rush back down to the arena before the announcements begin. "I'm not—," he's suddenly cut off by the sound of horns blaring again.

"The announcement of the Knights is starting, Sir!" the young man says hurriedly. "You can tell me later." he then drags Merlin to the stable, pulls out the horse, and practically pushes Merlin onto the horse. "Good luck, Sir Zane." with that, the young man smacks the horse on its rear end, causing the horse to trot forward towards the side entrance of the arena.

Merlin can only stare with wide eyes as the horse leads him straight to the entrance. He pulls on the reigns, bringing his—errr, Zane's horse to a stop as an announcer steps forward in front of Uther, Morgana, and the rest of Uther's guests and advisors.

"Milords, Miladie's, and the rest of our convocation!" the announcer, who Merlin had seen a few times around the castle over the past few months, calls over the crowd through a large cone. "It is a privilege and honor for me to stand here before you all, and announce the commencement of Camelot's 83rd Jousting Tournament!"

Cheers, applause, hollers, and screams of excitement echo throughout the stands in the arena. Merlin's heart and stomach twist together in panic as his eyes scan the other entrances. He's not sure which one is Arthur, and he dreads being found out by anyone. Uther will probably charge him for knocking out a knight, stealing his armor, and then wearing it and pretending to be him. Merlin takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. "What am I doing?" he mutters under his breath.

One by one, the Knights from different Kingdom's are announced. They would enter, pass in front of the King and his ward, say a few words here and there, and then go back to their places. Arthur is announced as well, and then finally, he… errr, Sir Zane, is called by the announcer.

"Traveling from faraway, representing a very long lineage of Knights, Lords, and Dukes, sired by Sir Edmund Ulster III- Doran's champion, I give you all… Sir Zane Fenwick Ulster of Doran!"

Merlin swallows down the lump in the back of his throat and takes another deep breath as cheers erupt in the stands again. He gently digs his heels into the horse's sides, getting it to slowly trot forward. Merlin makes sure to ride all the way towards the front of the Royals like all the other Knights before him did, circles around the small flag once, and then comes to a halt in front of the King and the ever-beautiful Lady Morgana.

He waits with bated breath as King Uther nods to him. Merlin then glances towards the Lady Morgana, and his heart leaps when their eyes connect. Morgana quirks an eyebrow at him, and for one crazy moment, Merlin thinks she can see him. He thinks she can really see him and knows that it's _him_. Merlin looks away quickly, and the look is gone. She curtsies towards him, much like she did with the other Knights, and then she smiles lightly. "I wish you well, Sir Zane."

Merlin stares, his mouth hanging open. Though it wasn't his name that she said, he can't help but feel like she'd just said the most intimate thing he had ever heard in his life. Merlin does not know what to say, so he says nothing. He only bows as much as the blasted full body armor will allow him, before backing the horse slowly away. His eyes, however, stay trained on the Lady Morgana. Her eyebrows are furrowed as if in confusion and disappointment, before she suddenly narrows her eyes at him.

"Wait!" she calls, and takes a step forward. She pauses when Uther clears his throat loudly at her little sudden outburst. Merlin freezes with Sir Zane's horse. Morgana walks right up to the front of the stand and looks curiously at him.

Merlin moves Wildfire forward until he's close enough to the Lady Morgana to reach out and touch her feet. "Yes, Milady?" he asks curiously.

Morgana then leans forward just a few inches and stares at him. She's trying to look at his eyes, so Merlin stares at her feet. "All the Knights have asked to fight in my honor… I've turned all their offers away."

Merlin stares, then mentally slaps himself. He should've remembered to ask to fight in her honor, but it simply slipped his mind because he was too busy trying not to drool over her beauty. Add that to the fact that he's not actually a Knight and he has no bloody idea how to speak like one, and you can understand why he's lacking. "My apologies, Milady… I—,"

"No." Morgana cuts him off. She then looks down at her wrist, and unties what looks like a silk, light blue and white embroidered ribbon from around her wrist. She looks up at him and smiles lightly. "Will you carry my favor?" she holds out the ribbon in her hand and waits for his reply.

Merlin's jaw drops, and for once since he put the blasted helmet on, he's glad it's covering his face, because he's sure he looks like a complete idiot right then and there. Shaking his shock away, the manservant has to remind himself that he's not really a knight, he has no idea how to joust, and he's just a simple manservant. Morgana would never want him to carry her favor anywhere if she knew it was him under the armor. Still, she's waiting for an answer. So he reaches up, wrapping his fingers around the end of the ribbon. Her fingers graze his as she lets go of the small token, and Merlin looks down at the soft fabric. "I would be _more_ than honored to carry your favor, Milady." He bows low and respectfully. When he raises his head, Morgana has her head cocked to the side as if curious about something.

"And will I not see your face, Sir Zane?" she asks softly.

Merlin panics, but quickly comes up with a fib. "You will, Milady… Tonight. When the tournament is over. I will be the one with the ribbon around my wrist."

Morgana gives a slight pout, then smiles, says nothing, and nods as Merlin slowly continues to back away and finally make his way back to Sir Zane's crew.

Merlin firmly ties Morgana's ribbon around his wrist before looking around quickly. He needs to find the _real_ Sir Zane, give him back his armor, and have him go out there for the tournament. Just as Merlin is able to dismount Wildfire, the George-look-alike comes rushing back with a large smile. "Sir Zane! You have the Lady Morgana's favor!"

"I know this… errr," Merlin trails off, for he doesn't know the mans name.

The George-look-alike stares weirdly at him. "Charlie."

"Right." Merlin nods. "Charlie."

"Would you like for me to polish your helmet quickly before the first round, Sir?" Charlie moves towards him with outstretched hands, but Merlin is quick to move away.

"No!" both he and Charlie freeze at that. "Errr, I mean… it's fine, Charlie."

Charlie stares at him as he too, cocks his head to the side. "You sound different. Are you feeling okay, Sir?"

"Yes, I'm fine!" Merlin snaps. The first round will start soon, and if he doesn't leave to get the real Sir Zane, he'll be stuck here without a clue as to what he's doing. "Look… just— fetch me some water, will you?"

Charlie nods immediately and rushes off in look for water. Merlin sighs heavily in relief, turning towards the castle, prepared to go find Sir Zane, but he's stopped by the sound of the first horn, marking the first round of the tournament. Merlin groans loudly and swears colorfully under his breath as several people rush to his side and begins ushering him back onto Wildfire.

All the manservant can ask himself, is, "What the bloody hell did I just get myself into?"

…

A/N: The plot for this fic is kind of like a cross between Cinderella, and a Knight's Tale. I loved A Knight's Tale (Heath Ledger is just so bloody gorgeous!). And I really wanted to write this, so I did. Anyway, I would really appreciate some insight from you guys. I want to make this a longer multi-chapter fic, but at the same time, I'm already writing 2 other multi-chapter fics, so I'm not sure. What do you guys think? Should I make this a long one, or just write 2 or 3 chapters and call it a fic? Let me know what you all think of this first chapter as well! Thank you all!

-McDiggin'It


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Servant In Shining Armor

...

Chapter Two:

...

Sweat beads the forehead of the young warlock as he is ushered out into the tournament grounds. In all his existence, Merlin had never been so terrified as he is now.

 _Surely I'm going to die out here today_ , he thinks. He looks to the scorekeeper, holding two flags.

The flag in his right, is a royal blue, representing from what Merlin has gathered, Sir Joras of Mercia. A fierce and burly knight who could probably lift three of him. The flag in the scorekeepers left, is a bright yellow, represented by Sir Quintus of the Western Isles. Sir Quintus is a bit smaller than Sir Joras, but rumor has it, he's faster than most of the Knights in the tournament.

Merlin heaves a sigh as he looks to his... errr, Sir Zane's crew, and seeing them sporting flags that are a shade of green that reminds him of the Lady Morgana's eyes.

"Sir Zane!" The stable boy from earlier races to his side with wide eyes. "We've received the word on who your first opponent will be."

Merlin looks at him expectantly before realizing that the boy can't actually see his face. "Who is it?" He asks quickly.

The boy hesitates and glances across the grounds to the other side. Merlin follows his stare and finds him to be looking at a crew of people sporting a black flag with a wolf crest on it. Which if he's not mistaken, is the crest of Cornwall. Odin's Kingdom.

Merlin glances back to the stable boy and tries to keep the fear out of his voice as he utters the name of the Knight he knows he will be facing soon. "Sir Myror of Cornwall."

The stable boy nods. "I've heard stories of his skills and techniques in this particular tournament, Sir." He continues, "But there's also talk about his Lance... from what I've heard, he hides a pike inside it to badly wound or even kill his opponents.

Merlin stares down at the boy. They're only a few years apart, and he almost reminds him of his younger self. "That's very refreshing to know... errr, what was your name again?"

The boy doesn't even look surprised by the acquisition, "It's Porter, Sir."

Merlin nods, an odd feeling overcoming him at being called "sir" so many times in one day. And it's still early. He nervously glances across the grounds again, and is surprised to see Sir Myror looking right at him. He quickly looks down at Porter, deciding he might as well gather as much information as he can. "Porter, what do you know about jousting techniques?"

Porter stares at him, surprised. "Sorry?"

Merlin goes to scratch the back of his head and stops. "Errr, just wondering what your take is on jousting."

"Right." Porter nods, "well, I do know that it is very important to keep your guard up. Hold your lance steady, and keep your timing. Timing is everything."

"Timing?" Merlin asks curiously.

Porter nods, "Yes, Sir. If you strike a second too late or a second too early, it may cost you."

Merlin nods, the stable boys words making lots of sense. But still, he has never done this before in his life. He's held a lance before, but not with one arm and certainly not whilst riding a horse and trying to avoid getting hit in the face with another lance. He's sweating buckets as he takes a deep breath and looks down at Porter again. "Any advice?"

Porter clearly looks shocked. A Knight asking a simple stable boy for advice is unheard of. "Just stick to your instincts, sir. Gut feelings can be quite magical at the right time."

Merlin nearly let out a string of curse words. _Magic! I can use magic!_ He mentally slaps himself, hard. With a newfound confidence, the manservant in disguise watches closely as the first two opposing Knights get ready to charge at each other from opposite sides of the fence.

The scorekeeper waves the flags to signal their go, and the tournament officially begins.

It takes a good hour and a half (an hour and a half in which he could've probably went out and found the real Sir Zane), but Merlin finds that it's his turn to go up against Sir Myror. Sir Joras won his first round, and after him was Sir Kurian and Sir Henson, the former winning the round between them.

Merlin grips the reigns on Wildfire tightly as he glances up to the Lady Morgana. He blushes when she smiles towards him. Porter wishes him luck, and he thanks the young stable boy as he and Wildfire approach the starting point. He could see Sir Myror, towering over his own stable boy as he gets ready.

Merlin takes a deep breath and tunes everyone out as he closes his eyes in concentration. He had an hour and a half to figure out how he's going to win this round. Like Porter had said, timing is everything.

So all he has to do, is aim his lance in the right direction, hold it firm, and magically command Sir Myror's lance to fall out of his grip the moment it comes into contact with his armor. If he is successful, his lance will hit its target, while it will look like he himself had actually took a hit, when in reality, he's merely pushing the lance out of the other Knights hand with his armor.

Merlin glances one more time towards the stands, his eyes settling on the Lady Morgana once again. She's staring intently at him, biting her lip lightly. Merlin raises the hand he had tied her ribbon around and brings it to his chest in a sign of honor. Morgana grins widely, and then the horns blare loudly, signaling his cue to ride forward. Merlin raises his lance, pressing it tightly to his side as he leans forward and digs his heels into Wildfire, spurring the horse forward in a charge down towards Sir Myror.

Merlin's jaw clenches as he tightens his grip around his lance and mentally calculates the distance.

One hundred feet... seventy-five feet... fifty feet... twenty five feet... Merlin braces himself, his body humming with magic as he mutters a spell under his breath. At the very last moment, he ducks his head, shuts his eyes, and thrusts his lance left and forward. He feels a slight force against his armor, a sound of a crash, and his lance snaps in half. The warlocks eyes snap open as Wildfire continues down the tournament grounds.

Glancing over his shoulder, Merlin's heart leaps at the sight of Sir Myror's horse still galloping away with its rider hanging halfway off to the side.

Cheers and roars of approval echo through the stands as Merlin drops his lance and fist pumps triumphantly! When he turns his horse around, he sees Porter jumping up and down in joy, accompanied by the rest of Sir Zane's team.

The young warlock breathes a sigh of relief as he turns his eyes towards the Lady Morgana once again. His heart soars in the air upon seeing her grinning widely at him. He bows his head in respect, and she bows her head back, her grin turning into a secretive smile.

...

Merlin is four rounds in, victorious in each round. The people are already rooting for him to win, although it isn't exactly his name that they're chanting. And though he knows he's basically cheating by using his magic, he can't help but feel a sense of freedom and pride in it. This is the first time he has actually used his magic in front of people. Granted, they don't know, but still... to use so much magic right under Uther's nose is quite exhilarating.

The Knights he defeated are utterly baffled, not understanding how they just seemed to drop their lances in the middle of the tournament. They were getting suspicious of him, and so was Sir Zane's team. He can only refuse to take his helmet off so many times before others begin to ask questions. And it seems, after winning all of his rounds, his team aren't the only ones asking question. Uther Pendragon kept staring at him, and so did Morgana and everyone else on the royal stands.

The young warlock is sweating, his armor is constricting, and his helmet is practically turning into an oven, threatening to boil his head if he doesn't take it off soon. Luckily for him, he has about 2 hours of break time before his next match. Merlin quickly checks his surroundings, thankful when most if not all eyes are now trained on the next round within the tournament. He easily lies to Sir Zane's team about seeing someone for some souvenir's that his (Zane's) father would like to have from Camelot. When Sir Zane's team returns to watching the match, the manservant ties Wildfire's reigns to a stable door, and slinks away towards the castle, in search of a dark, secluded corner where he could take the blasted armor off. And if he's lucky, he might have time to search for the real Sir Zane, and return his armor before he gets caught and executed for impersonating a Knight the entire time.

He settles for Arthur's personal stables. Everyone is still at the arena, so he thinks it's safe for him to take the armor off. Merlin moves hastily, pulling the helmet off first and taking a deep breath of cool air. He then begins to take off the armor piece by piece, for once, grateful for all the times he had to put Arthur in his own armor, otherwise, he would've taken forever trying to take the thing off. Once all parts of the armor is off, Merlin stretches and twists his body around, trying to loosen up his bones and muscles. He sighs heavily and leans against a stable door, relaxing for the first time since the tournament started. His relaxation is short-lived however, when a soft, familiar voice nearly gives him a heart attack.

"Sir Zane?"

Merlin's eyes widen in horror as his eyes dart to the corner where he left Sir Zane's armor. His eyes dart towards a stack of hay, and he quickly takes an armful of it and throws it over the armor.

"Sir Zane?" Morgana calls again as she continues further towards the front of the stables.

Merlin quickly checks that the armor is fully covered, pulls down his sleeves around his ribbon wrapped wrist, and then sprints out to the front of the stables, where Morgana turns and nearly runs into him.

"Milady!" Merlin says a little too loudly.

"Merlin?" Morgana's eyebrows furrow in confusion as she tries to look over his shoulder. He's much taller than her though, so she settles for looking beside him. "What are you… did you see Sir Zane come through here?"

Merlin trie's to keep his breathing under control as he stares at her and tries not to give away his fear of being caught. "Sir Zane?" he asks slowly and pretends to think about it. "Oh, you mean the Knight who has been winning all his rounds?" he asks cheekily. He couldn't resist smiling widely as Morgana regards him with a curious look.

"Yes… I saw him come here."

Merlin bites his lip and resists the urge to groan. Leave it to him to give himself away like that. "Oh, errrr…" he glances behind him and then back to the Lady Morgana. "There's no one here… just me." he shrugs. "Did you need him for anything in particular, Milady?"

Morgana blushes as she looks down at her hands. "No, I just… thought I'd congratulate him on his victories."

Merlin nods, "Right… Errrr, perhaps I could convey a message to him?" At her questioning look, he continues, "I know his stable boy… Porter. Great bloke." he quickly covers.

Morgana stares suspiciously at him, "Right… well, I suppose you could tell him that I'm looking forward to tonight."

It's Merlin's turn to give her a questioning look. "Tonight?"

Morgana nods, "The feast for the victors… didn't you know? It was announced to the servants about a week ago, and then again this morning."

Merlin pretends to remember, although he hadn't been present during both announcements. He was probably half asleep during the announcement last week, and then he was with Kilgharrah this morning. "Right… the feast." he smiles, although his heart sinks. He can't actually _be_ at the feast. Well, he will definitely _be_ there, but only as a servant… to serve food and wine to the victors. He looks down at his feet in disappointment and quickly swallows his sadness before looking back up at the woman before him. "I'll make sure he gets the message, Milady."

Morgana smiles and gives him a grateful look before looking around once again. "Are you sure you didn't see him come through here? Because I'm pretty sure I saw him come in here."

The warlock mentally slaps himself. Of course she saw him come in here! "Oh, well now that you mention it, I did hear someone walking around here a few minutes before you arrived, but I think they left."

Morgana looks around the stable and up at the castle before looking incredulously at Merlin. "And went where?"

Merlin shrugs, "I have no idea, Milady… perhaps he went up to the castle when you were walking up here."

Morgana quirks an eyebrow at the manservant. "In just under 3 minutes?"

The manservant shrugs again, "Perhaps he has extremely long legs?"

Morgana thinks about it and nods slowly, though she's not entirely convinced. "Perhaps…" she trails off and cocks her head to the side as she regards the manservant curiously. "Arthur told me he couldn't find you during the whole tournament…" she quirks an eyebrow at him. "In fact, I don't think anyone has seen you this whole day."

Merlin nervously scratches his head as he tries to think of a lie. He could say he was helping Gaius, but that simply wouldn't fly because Gaius is acting as Arthur's personal physician down at the arena. He could say he was at the tavern, but the tavern is closed for the duration of the tournament. He could say he was in the castle, but doing what exactly? He could—

"Did Arthur send you to muck out his stables again and then forget to fetch you before the tournament?" Morgana's eyes are sympathetic as she stares up at him.

Merlin isn't sure how much the Lady Morgana knows about mucking stables, but he's pretty sure she has no idea that it only takes one person about an hour to clean the whole thing. But he's not about to tell her that. Putting on his best sad face, Merlin frowns and nods his head with a perfect dejected look. "Yes, Milady."

Morgana nearly melts at the look on the manservant's face. He looked so sad that she nearly forgets who they are and almost envelopes him in a hug. "Oh you poor thing." she says softly. She takes a step forward and lays a hand on his chest, silently surprised to find a bunch of tense muscles beneath her fingertips. She swallows hard and quickly removes her hand and clears her throat as she glances down at her feet. "I'll make a note of speaking to Arthur about his horrible treatment of you." she says softly before looking up at him through her lashes. "As Uther's Ward and Lady of the court, I relieve you of your duties for the day so you can join us at the arena to watch the tournament."

Merlin sighs dreamily as he stares at her in adoration. She's so beautiful both inside and out, it makes his heart ache, just knowing that he could never say those words to her. He could never say what he truly wants to say to her. At least he can't say it without losing his head. He nods to the Lady Morgana when she looks questioningly at him, obviously expecting him to say something. "Thank you, Milady… you are too kind."

Morgana smiles soothingly at him. "You're welcome, Merlin."

A horn blares from the arena, signaling the ending of a round, and Morgana turns, walking slowly. She stops upon realizing that Merlin isn't following her. "Aren't you coming?" she asks over her shoulder.

Merlin glances behind him towards the heap of hay. "Errrr, I will be there shortly, Milady… I just have to move some shovels back to where they belong. You go ahead." he tries not to look so hopeful that she takes his bait. Morgana doesn't seem to notice as she nods, offers him one last smile, and then disappears around the stable. He waits a single minute before letting out a sigh of relief. Glancing around to make sure no one else will show up, Merlin rushes back towards the armor, making quick work of getting back into it.

…

As the young warlock in a Knight's armor approaches Wildfire, Porter comes racing towards him with wide eyes. "Sir Zane!"

"What's wrong, Porter?" Merlin asks curiously. The boy really does look concerned.

"There are only two rounds left." Porter informs him. "You're up against Sir Penn of Monmouth next."

Merlin nods and looks out towards the arena. His eyes immediately moves towards the Royal stands, coming first to rest on Uther for a mere second before gliding over to the Lady Morgana, who is staring directly at him with confused eyes. He looks away quickly and back towards Porter. "Who else is left?" he asks curiously.

He should've known the answer to that question, and suppose he does know, but it still surprises him when Porter gives him a worried look. "Prince Arthur of Camelot, Sir."

Merlin glances towards Camelot's team, seeing the familiar faces of everyone he has ever known since he arrived here two years ago. He takes note of Arthur talking to Gwaine with a look of pure amusement on his face. Merlin sighs and looks down at Wildfire. If he wins, Arthur will lose. But if he loses, he'll be losing Lady Morgana's favor, as well as letting her down.

The young warlock groans as he rests his helmet covered head against the heel of his hand. _What the bloody hell am I supposed to do now?_

…

A/N: Reviews are appreciated! Thanks for reading, guys. I really hope you guys liked this chapter. I know that in a jousting tournament, the tournament takes a couple of days or so, but for the sake of me not wanting to actually write a really long, unrealistic fic, I decided to make this tournament a simple one-day event. I hope you guys like it anyway! Thanks again! Also, what do you guys think of me writing a Merln/Other pairing? Merlin/Mithian perhaps? Let me know! `

-McDiggin'it


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Servant In Shining Armor

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Chapter Three:

...

It's loud with cheers and roars of Camelot's people. Merlin finds himself at an utter loss for what to do. He had just won another round, and now he's waiting on Arthur's final round before, whoever is the victor between the Prince and Knight of Cardiff, will face him in the final round of the tournament.

Merlin takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. The choice is hard. Let Arthur win so he can save face for Camelot? Or should he just win for Morgana? He supposes it's not that hard of a choice. Arthur will live, Morgana will be happy and glad about her choice in victors, Sir Zane gets to go home to his father without worries, and he... well, he supposes he has to return to being plain old Merlin. The manservant.

The horns for the final round, blares from a distance, and Sir Zane's team all cheer as Merlin mounts his horse. He has some trouble with getting on, but Porter quickly helps him up. "Thank you, Porter." He says to the young stable boy.

Porter nods and smiles widely. "Good luck."

Merlin nods and looks up across the grounds towards Arthur, who is also mounting his horse. "I guess I'm going to need all the luck I can get." The manservant in disguise says to the boy.

The stable boy smiles and steps in closer. "Whatever happens, I want you to know that you would've made a fine Knight, Sir."

Merlin looks down at Porter again and quirks an eyebrow, though he's sure the boy can't even see his eyebrows. "Pardon?"

Porter quickly looks around, checking for anyone eavesdropping. "I know you're not Sir Zane."

Merlin's eyes widen before he too looks around for anyone who may be eavesdropping. "You knew?"

Porter chuckles and nods. "I don't know who you are, and I'm not going to ask, but yes... I knew the moment you asked me for advice."

"Oh." Merlin nods. "Right."

"Also, you never took your helmet off, you don't sound a thing like Sir Zane, you didn't warn me about keeping Link away from Wildfire, and you've always been so nice to me."

Merlin makes a confused face. "Link?"

Porter nods, and points to a little moving bulge in his jacket pocket. "My pet mouse." He looks at Merlin and whispers, "Wildfire is extremely terrified of Link."

Merlin chuckles and then tilts his head to the side. "Sir Zane isn't nice to you?" he asks curiously. He's glad that Porter isn't running off to tell everyone that he's not really Sir Zane.

Porter shakes his head. "Every time I bring Wildfire out, Sir Zane always finds something supposedly wrong with his horse before yelling at me for being incompetent... even though I've checked, double checked, and even triple checked Wildfire for any issues." He shrugs, "and not once did you yell at me today."

Merlin nods and looks around. After making sure that no one was paying attention, he raises the helmet only halfway, before smiling at the stable boy. "You didn't ask, but I want you to know. My name is Merlin, and you, are great at your job, Porter. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Porter beams and bows his head in respect. "Thank you, Merlin.

Merlin grins and pulls his helmet back down before turning wildfire towards the tournament grounds and trotting off slowly.

"Sir!" Porter calls once more.

Merlin halts Wildfire and turns to look at the stable boy.

Porter moves in closer and gives him a curious look. "Your occupation?"

Merlin chuckles and looks across the tournament grounds towards Arthur. "You see that clotpole over there?"

Porter looks then nods and looks back at the man in Sir Zane's armor. "Prince Arthur?"

"Yeah. Him."

Porter nods, "Are you one of his guards or something?"

Merlin grins, "I'm his manservant." He turns and continues towards the tournament grounds.

Porter looks on with surprise and awe. Clearly, Merlin is a man who makes his own rules. And someday, he wishes to be just like the manservant.

...

They have a total of three consecutive rounds, and they're now down to the final one. Merlin is exhausted. Who knew it took so much energy to hold his lance steady? Arthur took quite a hit on the first round. And because he felt bad for the Prince, Merlin let the Prince land the next hit, nearly knocking him off of Wildfire if it weren't for his magic.

Now, they're getting ready to begin the last and final round of the tournament. Merlin looks first at Porter, who gives him a thumbs up, then he looks at Sir Zane's team and sees them all sporting hopeful looks. Merlin swallows hard as he takes a deep breath. This is it. The last person he looks at, is the Lady Morgana. Beside her, Uther is glaring towards him, but he doesn't care. His eyes are resting solely on the Lady Morgana, and all else fades as she gets up from her seat and smiles at him. Raising her hand, she closes it into a fist and lays it over her heart as she bows her head towards him.

Merlin smiles at her as he too raises his hand, pulls his shirt up around his forearm, showing off her token around his wrist before laying his closed fist over his heart. He nods to her as the horns blare again, and he digs his heels into Wildfire's sides.

The horse takes off as Merlin grasps his lance and lifts it to his side, holding it steady as he watches Arthur approach him head on.

This is it. Win it. Or lose it. As he gets nearer and nearer, time seems to slow down around the young warlock as he opens his mouth to mutter a spell. But he stops himself at the very last second, his eyes widening as Arthur's lance connects harshly with his breastplate, sending him flying off of Wildfire.

He hits the ground hard, landing on his back. The air is knocked out of his lungs, his vision swims, and his ears are ringing. It takes a few long moments, but then his breath is being restored, and his vision sharpens again. The ringing in his ears slowly fade away as the sound of Camelot's victorious cheers begin to fade back in.

Suddenly, the manservant is being hauled into the air, and he feels someone take his arm and drape it over something. A shoulder.

"... I'm honored to present the winner of this years jousting tournament. Prince Arthur of Camelot!" The announcer calls from the stands. The crowd cheers wildly.

Merlin smiles to himself, despite his exhaustion and body aches. He realizes that the person who helped him up, is the Prince of Camelot himself. Turning his head, he grins at his friends joyful gaze, and the manservant knows that he made the right decision. Arthur would've won fair and square anyway.

Arthur then looks at him and grins, "It has been an honor to compete against you, Sir Zane. Surely, the people of Doran will be proud to call you one of their own."

Merlin bows his head in respect and smiles, "Thank you, Sire."

Arthur frowns for a moment as he stares at the Knight, but before he could say anything further, Porter comes running with Wildfire in tow, a large grin over his face. Arthur takes that as his cue to go and greet his people.

Porter grins widely at Merlin and hands him the reigns to Wildfire. "I know you let him win." When Merlin says nothing, he continues, "Your timing was always perfect during the other rounds... but for this last round, I saw you hesitate."

Merlin nods, "He deserves it... besides, I'm not the real Sir Zane."

Porter smiles at the humbleness of the man under the armor. "You've been a better Knight than the real Sir Zane ever was."

Merlin beams, "Thank you, Porter... I-"

"And now!" The announcer interrupts. "I would like to announce our runner up, followed by the rest of our competitors!"

Merlin looks up towards the stands and sees Morgana looking right at him. Her expression is unreadable as she stares. Is she angry with him for losing? He wonders. Porter nudges him lightly in the elbow and Merlin looks at him questioningly. He's surprised to find a worried look on the stable boys face. "What's wrong?"

"They'll announce you in a moment!"

"I know this, Porter." Merlin chuckles.

Porter quickly shakes his head, "They'll expect you to reveal your face to the crowd!"

At that, Merlin's heart sinks. What the bloody hell is he to do now?!

"Our runner up, from the Kingdom of Doran, is none other than, Sir Zane Fenwick Ulster!"

Porter quickly ushers the manservant in disguise onto Sir Zane's horse, and then follows them to the front of the Royal stands.

Merlin's heart is in his throats as he awaits his doom. This was it. Goodbye Arthur, Morgana, Gwen, and Gaius. Uther rises from his seat, and the Lady Morgana follows, coming to stand in front of Merlin as the manservant tries to think of a way out of this.

Uther nods to the announcer, and the man behind the mega cone looks towards Merlin. "If you would remove your helmet, Sir Zane? So the King can properly reward you for your bravery, strength, courage, sportsmanship, and incredible talent in the sport of jousting."

The crowd goes silent as they wait for the Knight to finally reveal his face. Merlin glances down at Porter, who gives him a worried look and shakes his head. The manservant slowly raises his hands, grasping the bottom of the the helmet and begins to pull it off, just as his chin comes into view, a commotion from the other side of the stands stops him.

"STOP!" An angry voice shouts from the midst of the crowd. Merlin freezes and stares as he begins to pull the helmet back down. But then a man in peasants clothing pushes out into the open and glares directly at him. Merlin knows that face, and his heart sinks even further. "That is an impostor! I am Sir Zane of Doran!" Sir Zane's team all gape in shock, save for Porter.

Gasps echo through the crowd and heads turn towards the man in Sir Zane's armor. The first person Merlin looks at, is the Lady Morgana, who's eyes are wide with surprise. He wishes he could apologize, but knows there's no time as he glances down at Porter, who offers him a small smile and a nod before reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out something.

Almost immediately, Wildfire goes crazy and rears back away from Porter. Merlin only has time to see Porter drop a small mouse on the ground, before Wildfire takes off with him, out of the tournament grounds, out of Camelot, and into the forest.

...

A/N: Let me know what you all think! I'm really late for class now, so I must go. But I hope you all like this chapter! Thank you for your reviews in the other two chapters. I will try to update soon. Will be updating "The Thief" next! Also, what do you guys think of a modern mergana fic next? Yes? No? Too soon? Let me know!

-McDiggin'It


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Servant in Shining Armor

…

Chapter Four:

…

A tired, dirty, and half naked Merlin stumbles through the secret passageway of Camelot's wall in the dark of night, for which he is extremely thankful for. He's cold, tired, and starving. He hadn't eaten anything all day, he had spent a whole day in the sun, inside a heavy armor, jousting men that are twice, even thrice his size, and right now, all he wants, is some warm food, and his bed… but first, he must find a shirt. He left Wildfire tied to a post outside the gates of Camelot, along with Sir Zane's armor, and a small note of apology. It shouldn't be long before a guard finds it and returns it to the Knight of Doran.

Once through the passageway, the manservant quickly finds a shirt that barely fits him, probably belonging to a twelve year old boy, hanging outside a row of houses. Good thing he's relatively small, so the shirt isn't too tight, although the sleeves don't quite reach his wrists. After making sure that no one had seen him, the manservant quickly makes his way up towards the castle, expertly maneuvering his way past the guards. Lucky for him, the guards are absolutely terrible at their jobs.

Once he makes it inside the castle, the manservant sighs in relief and leans against a wall, closing his eyes and relaxing. His relief is short-lived however, when a familiar voice startles him.

"Halt! Who goes there?" the Knight calls to him.

Merlin's eyes snap open and he looks down the hallway at the man with wavy dark brown hair. "Gwaine!" he grins widely and pushes himself off the wall to go over to the Knight.

"Merlin?" Gwaine asks in surprise. "Where the hell have you been this whole time?" he asks incredulously as he comes up to meet the manservant halfway. "Arthur has been looking everywhere for you!"

"He has?" the manservant asks in surprise.

Gwaine nods, "Yes… I suppose not having his manservant around to polish his armor, clean his boots, wash his clothes, fetch his drinks, change him, and follow him around has made the Princess a little worried." the Knight smirks.

Merlin laughs at that and scratches the back of his head. "Ah, right… I suppose I should—,"

"Where are your clothes?" Gwaine asks curiously, cutting the manservant off.

Merlin looks down at his attire and tenses up. "Errrr, these _are_ my clothes."

Gwaine quirks an eyebrow at him and shakes his head. "No they aren't." he disagrees. "You always have either a red shirt and blue neckerchief, or a blue shirt and red neckerchief. And then you always have on your brown jacket and black pants… and _those_ aren't even your boots." he glances suspiciously at the manservants boots.

Merlin clears his throat and shrugs, "I wanted a change of look for once."

Gwaine stares, not quite believing the man, but he doesn't have time to protest, because Percival and Leon suddenly appear from the other side of the hallway. They voice their concerns and surprise upon seeing the manservant as well before ushering him towards the Great Hall.

"Arthur's looking for you, and demands that you be present during the feast, Merlin." Leon says sternly as he takes Merlin's arm and steers him down the hallway.

"Yep." Percival agrees from his other side. "He might kill you, but… well, I suppose I don't really have anything to add to that." he says in thought. "He just might kill you, Merlin."

"Say Merlin," Leon chimes in curiously. "Where have you been all day? I don't think I've seen you at all today."

Merlin huffs as he tries to think of a lie and a way out of their sight so he can maybe take a bath first before he has to get back to work as Arthur's incompetent manservant. To his luck, Gaius suddenly walks through the hallway, and stops abruptly upon seeing them.

"Merlin?"

Gwaine snorts. "Yes, I suppose you haven't seen your ward all day as well?"

Merlin widens his eyes warningly at the old Physician, conveying a silent plea through his eyes.

"Errr, I have… I sent him out earlier to gather some supplies and herbs for restocking my medicine chest… some of the Knights have been needing some relief from their injuries in the tournament." the old man lies easily.

Merlin inwardly sighs in relief and silently thanks the old man for his wonderful cover. The Knights all nod slowly before looking at the manservant. But Leon narrows his eyes a moment later. "So where are the supplies and herbs?"

Merlin throws another helpless look at Gaius before throwing a quick prayer to the Triple goddess herself. "Errr—" he begins, and doesn't get very far.

"He dropped them off in our chambers before I sent him down to the village with a draught I had prepared for an old friend of mine… the historian."

Again, the Knights all nod, deciding to believe the physician.

"Boys," Gaius says before anyone else asks anymore questions. "I don't suppose you could excuse Merlin for a few more minutes? I need him to pick up one last thing from our chambers. I forgot the potion I made earlier for Sir Quintus."

Leon and Percival exchange hesitant looks before nodding their agreement. "Fine." Leon says. "But Arthur expects him at the feast, Gaius."

"I'll be there." Merlin says quickly.

With another round of nods, the three knights then continue back towards the Great Hall.

Gaius turns angrily at his ward as soon as he's sure they're alone. "Merlin, where in the world have you been all day?"

Merlin groans, "Gaius, I'm tired. I promise I'll tell you later. For now, I just need to get back to my room and take a quick bath."

The physician huffs as he steps aside. "Hurry. And don't be too late to the feast. It will be starting very soon."

Merlin nods and offers a grateful smile to the elderly man, before turning and hurrying up towards the Physician's chambers. If one more person stops him, he will have to magically destroy their vocal chords until tomorrow.

Luckily for him, he manages to get to Gaius' chambers without running into anyone else. He bathes quickly, grinning to himself as he washes away the dirt and grime from earlier. He doesn't have time to fully clean between his toes, or clean his fingernails or toenails, but he's set on doing that after the feast.

The manservant quickly changes back into his usual attire, before hurrying out of the chambers, down the hall, and towards the Great Hall.

...

He's not entirely sure of what he expected, but the manservant is silently surprised by the loud ruckus going on. Shouts of disagreement and anger reverberates around the hall, and Merlin cringes upon seeing Sir Zane amidst the crowd.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't given your armor to another man!" One of the Knights, Sir Penn, shouts at the Knight of Doran.

"I told you all, I was ambushed. Attacked from behind, and then stripped of my armor!" Sir Zane shoots back to the Knight.

Merlin bites his tongue, forcing himself not to call the man a liar... at least not out loud. _I did not ambush anyone, and I certainly did not attack from behind. It's not below me to do so, but that's just not what happened!_ he wants to shout, but forces himself to stay silent.

A few other Knights all voice their thoughts, demanding to have the culprit who acted as Sir Zane, found and thrown in the dungeons. Some wanted rematches, and some even accuse Sir Zane of cheating by paying off someone to joust for him. But of course, Uther merely raises a hand and announces that there will be no rematch, since Arthur won against his opponents fair and square, including the mystery impostor.

As for Sir Zane, he had already been disqualified from the tournament, because he of course, didn't actually compete. It is no ones but his own fault that he was not present at the tournament grounds during the announcement of the competitors.

Arguments and announcements continue to be exchanged, but Merlin had stopped listening the moment he laid eyes on the Lady Morgana, entering the hall. Almost immediately, the buzzing of conversation quietens down as she walks through the center of the room, curtsies towards the King, before taking her usual seat at his left side.

Merlin leans against a pillar as his eyes drink in the sight of her. She's wearing a flowing, silk, blood red gown, with jewels and shiny gems encrusted at her bust. Her neckline is low, but not too much that it's scandalous. Around her neck, she wears a fancy chain, with a large ruby red pendant. Her long, dark hair, is pulled up into an elegant twist, save for a few tendrils of dark curls, framing the sides of her face. She looks absolutely stunning. The manservant sighs dreamily as he stares.

All the men in the room, excluding Uther and Arthur, continue to stare at the elegant Lady, obviously in awe of her beauty.

The manservant sighs heavily and looks away. He knows he could never have a chance with her. It's just not meant to be. He shoots her one last longing look before he makes his way towards the back, determined to get to work, and hopefully get the rest of the evening off after this. Arthur should be in good enough spirits tonight to change on his own... but then again, Arthur is probably going to kill him for not showing up to work all day.

The Knights finally return to their seats along the long table of competitors, Sir Zane making sure to quickly snag the chair beside the Lady Morgana's.

Merlin silently notes this as he walks along the table with a jug of wine in his hands. He yelps when he's suddenly being yanked back by his shirt. The manservant turns and mentally groans upon seeing who had yanked him back.

"How nice of you to finally join us, Merlin." Arthur says through gritted teeth. "Where in the world have you been all day?"

Merlin tries to smile as innocently as possible. "I do apologize, Sire… You see, I was mucking out your stables today, and simply lost track of time."

Arthur glares, "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Merlin stares, "Would you really want me to answer that, Sire?"

"Don't push it, Merlin." The Prince hisses, and checks that no one is paying attention to them. Uther is speaking to the Lady Morgana, and the Knights are a combination of eating, drinking, and talking. Turning back to his manservant, Arthur glares. "Where have you _really_ been, Merlin… because I know for a fact that it doesn't take a full day to muck out the stables."

Merlin sighs in defeat and shakes his head. "Fine… I was— I was sleeping."

Arthur's face scrunches up in bafflement. "What?"

The manservant nods slowly, "I hadn't slept last night, so this morning, before the tournament started, I went to bed with the intention of getting up in a few minutes, but… well, I just woke up about an hour ago."

The young Prince stares disbelievingly for a moment. Shaking his head, he narrows his eyes suspiciously. "Why didn't you sleep last night? What were you doing, Merlin?"

Merlin's mind races, coming up with lies as he goes… "I was reading poems, Sire."

"Poems?" Arthur asks incredulously.

Merlin nods, "Yes… believe it or not, I enjoy reading poems. I stayed up all night and read quite a lot of poems. I even wrote a few short ones!" Merlin says with convincing enthusiasm. "Would you like to hear one?" he doesn't wait for Arthur's reply before clearing his throat, and starting off with the first line that came to mind. "Roses are red, Violets are blue, I—,"

"No, I believe you." Arthur says quickly. "Now shut up and get back to work. I expect you to really muck out my stables first thing in the morning."

Merlin snickers quietly to himself as the Prince turns away and hurries back to his seat. The manservant continues with his job, filling up goblets and making small talk with the other servants.

Time goes by quite quickly, the manservant managing to make himself scarce to Uther, Arthur, and the Lady Morgana. That is, until Sir Zane, calls to him.

"Come here, boy!" the Knight gestures to the manservant.

Merlin's jaw clenches. _Boy? We're nearly the same age!_ He is quiet as he trudges over, ignoring Sir Zane's annoyed look.

"Hurry up, you incompetent idiot!" the Knight snaps at the manservant.

Merlin resists the urge to gripe out an insult of his own. For once, he's glad that Sir Zane got disqualified because of him. As he comes to a stop, he couldn't help but glance at the Lady Morgana, sitting beside the Knight.

"Fill this up." Sir Zane snaps, pointing at his goblet.

Merlin does so, having half the mind to just pour the contents of the wine jug onto Sir Zane's head before bonking him in the noggin with the jug. He refrains from doing so.

"Now fill up this beautiful little Lady's goblet." Sir Zane commands.

At this, Morgana finally looks up at the manservant, and Merlin practically melts. She looks concernedly at him before turning her eye angrily to the Knight beside her. "That is unnecessary, Sir Zane… I can ask Merlin myself... and I am _not_ little."

Sir Zane looks surprised at that. Blinking rapidly, he gives her a questioning look. "Who's Merlin?"

Merlin takes that as his cue. "That would be me." he answers. Without waiting for another quip from the Knight, the manservant turns his back on him and looks at the lovely Lady Morgana. He smiles softly at her before bowing his head in her direction. "More wine, Milady?"

Morgana stares up at the manservant, her eyes staring unblinkingly at him. It takes her a few moments, but she's finally able to nod. "Yes, thank you… Merlin."

The manservant grins as he leans down in front of her and fills her goblet. "You're welcome, Milady."

He then takes a step back and moves to leave, but Sir Zane stops him. "Stay there, boy… I'll need you to keep the wine coming."

Merlin rolls his eyes as he stands a short distance behind the Knight. Morgana, however, follows the manservant with her eyes. They share a brief moment of direct eye contact before Merlin clears his throat and looks down at his feet. He knows it's ridiculous, but he can't help but think that the Lady Morgana had actually showed a bit of interest in him. That's just absolutely absurd though. The manservant sighs and closes his eyes.

After the third goblet, Sir Zane's words begin to slur, and his chair ends up getting too close to Morgana's. By this time, Morgana looked to be absolutely annoyed by the man beside her, and she finds herself turning in her seat to throw a pleading look at the manservant. Uther is no help whatsoever, too distracted with speaking to Sir Myror and Lord Starling of Cornwall.

Merlin immediately gets the silent message Lady Morgana sends him, and he nods before taking a few steps forward and standing close behind the Knight. Without a word, Merlin raises the wine jug, tips it over, and dumps nearly the rest of it's contents onto Sir Zane's lap.

The Knight of Doran jumps, shrieking in shock and anger. "YOU IDIOT!" Sir Zane bellows angrily, his eyes glaring daggers into the manservant. His outburst catches everyone's attention, causing the occupants of the Great Hall to all turn and stare between Sir Zane and Merlin.

"My apologies, Sir Zane." Merlin says with barely concealed amusement. "You moved a little too quickly and knocked the jug out of my hands."

"What?!" Sir Zane shouts incredulously. "I didn't move! You just dumped the wine on me!"

Arthur steps in then, calling from across the table. "Sir Zane," he begins, "My servant can be quite clumsy and a bit of an idiot… I apologize on his behalf."

"Don't apologize for a servant, Arthur." Uther intervenes. "You're the Prince of Camelot, and you will apologize for no one." with that, Uther turns his head to the manservant and glares. "Watch what you're doing, boy." he growls.

"I demand that this incompetent fool be punished!" Sir Zane says angrily.

Uther merely nods. Had it been someone of importance, he would've told Sir Zane to watch his tone and demands. But Uther cares very little for Arthur's clumsy manservant. "His idiocy will not go unpunished, Sir Zane…" he then looks over at Merlin, who raises a hand to the back of his head and rubs it nervously. Before Uther could begin a sentence, Morgana cuts in quickly as she rises from her seat.

"Sire, I do believe that this is my fault."

Everyone, including Merlin, look incredulously at her. Uther shakes his head at his ward. "How is this your fault, Lady Morgana?"

Morgana bows her head and bites her lip. "I may have accidentally knocked the jug of wine out of Merlin's hands and caused him to spill the contents of it onto Sir Zane." with a practiced pout, she turns to the Knight, bites her bottom lip lightly and gives him her most innocent, apologetic look.

Sir Zane looks like he's immediately about to melt into his seat as he stares. Clearing his throat, he looks once at the manservant before looking back to the Lady Morgana. "I— I suppose it's fine, Milady… I'll forgive this servant for you."

Morgana resists the urge to roll her eyes at the Knight. _He'll forgive Merlin for me? How bigheaded and stupid is he?!_ She inwardly thanks all the holy beings out there that the "Sir Zane" she gave her token to, isn't _this_ giant idiot. "Thank you, Sir Zane." she forces out as she performs a little curtsy.

Uther nods and smiles at the Knight. "Yes, that is most kind of you, Sir Zane… there aren't many people out there who would be so forgiving."

 _Forgiving?! Are you kidding me?_ Morgana wanted to shriek, but she bites her tongue.

Uther then glares over at Merlin. "You are dismissed for the remainder of the feast, boy… now leave this hall before you dump something else on someone else, in which I _won't_ be as forgiving as Sir Zane."

Merlin inwardly sighs in relief, having expected a death sentence or something of the sort. With a quick thankful glance at Morgana, the manservant turns on his heels and quickly marches out of the hall. He almost laughs. He had expected a punishment after that little stunt with the wine, but instead, he got to leave early! He smiles to himself as he pushes past the double doors and out into the hallway. Taking a deep breath, the manservant begins to skip down the corridors. He might as well enjoy this freedom before Arthur sends for him later on.

…

Merlin is catching up on some reading when he hears a soft knock on the Physician's door. Sighing heavily, the manservant rises from his seat, expecting a guard who had been sent by Arthur to fetch him. But he is pleasantly surprised to find the Lady Morgana, still in her beautiful blood red gown, looking up at him. "Milady." he manages, bowing slightly. "How may I assist you—," he doesn't get to finish his question, for before he could, Morgana slaps him across the cheek. Merlin's head snaps to the side as the sound of flesh meeting flesh echoes throughout the empty chambers. He had not expected the slap… well, he had not expected the Lady Morgana either, but… here she is, in all her slapping glory.

When he looks back at the woman, he's not exactly surprised to see a look of anger on her face. After all, people don't just slap other people because they're happy. "I apologize if I've offended you in any way, Milady." he says softly as he raises a hand and rubs his cheek. Before he could put his hand back down to his side, Morgana moves swiftly, and catches his hand in hers before pulling it towards her. Merlin stares at her, confused as to what she's doing… that is, until she pulls back the sleeve of his red shirt.

Morgana's eyes leave his to stare down at his hand, or more specifically, his wrist.

The manservant's eyes follow hers towards his wrist, and that's when he realizes why he had just been slapped by the King's ward. His heart sinks and his stomach clenches nervously as he mentally slaps himself for forgetting to take off the token.

Morgana bites her lip as she looks back up at the manservant through her lashes. "It was _you_."

…

A/N: I know you all must hate me for almost always ending my chapters in cliffhangers, but I promise they're not always intentional. I just feel like it's a good enough stopping point. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter! There should be 1 or 2 chapters left for this one, and then I'll be posting another new multichapter- modern Mergana fic. Thank you all for reading, and let me know what you guys think!

-McDiggin'It


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Servant in Shining Armor

...

Chapter Five:

…

"It was _you_."

Merlin shakes his head rapidly. "No it wasn't." He tries to deny, but Morgana is already quirking an eyebrow at him.

"You're wearing my token, Merlin."

The manservant grits his teeth and closes his eyes. 'Great. I might as well go straight to the Great Hall and confess to Uther that I have magic!'

"Look at me." Morgana says softly. She meant for it to come out as a command, but it sounded more like a plea. And perhaps, she's pleading a little.

Merlin opens his eyes finally and sighs in defeat as he casts his eyes downward in an attempt to convey that he's ashamed of deceiving everyone... especially her. "I'm sorry, Milady." He says truthfully. "I deserve much worse than that slap."

Morgana finds herself raising a hand to touch his reddened cheek. She doesn't even know why she slapped him. She's not angry at him at all! If anything, she's relieved and utterly thankful that the man she gave her token to, isn't the real Sir Zane, who she left in the Great Hall as soon as she was able to get away. She's actually really glad beyond belief that the man she gave her token to, is Merlin. Not a Knight, not a Lord, not a Duke, a Prince, or a King, but a simple manservant with mesmerizing blue eyes, a dark mop of hair, a pail complexion, high and defined cheekbones, adorable dimples, and a contagious smile. "I'm sorry for slapping you." She says sheepishly.

Merlin's head snaps up to stare at her, trying not to lean his head towards the hand she has on his cheek. "But I... I'm an impostor. Or was. I was pretending to be a Knight!"

"And you're excellent at it." Morgana chuckles softly, drawing her hand back down to her side. "Oddly enough, you seemed more like a Knight to me than any other real Knight I've ever met."

Merlin's eyes widen at that. "Really?"

Morgana smiles as she begins to caress his jaw with her thumb. "No... it's what gave you away in the first place." She then chuckles softly and shakes her head. "Did you have any idea what you were doing out there?"

Merlin laughs at that. "Not a clue." He frowns as he regards the Lady Morgana with a nervous look. "Are you angry with me?"

Morgana's eyebrows furrow at him, "Why would I be angry with you?"

He shrugs, "You gave me of all people, your token... it must be disappointing to know that the man you chose as your victor, isn't even a Knight."

"A manservant." Morgana says as she takes in Merlin's physical appearance. "Thin, overworked, clumsy, impulsive, and sometimes a bit rude given your position."

Merlin nods, trying not to be offended. She's right, of course. "I know... and I accept any punishment you wish to bestow upon me." He looks down at his dirty, worn out boots. "I'm sorry I couldn't be the Knight you wanted."

The Lady Morgana stares at him for a long time, pursing her lips as she observes the manservants face and mannerisms. Biting her lip, she raises her hand again, watching with great amusement as the manservant flinches a tad. She coos softly as she touches his cheek again. "No... you weren't the Knight I wanted." Morgana says firmly. She notices Merlin's saddened frown, which elicits a most unrecognized bittersweet feeling inside her. She's glad to see that he's saddened by her words, but she dislikes seeing such an emotion on his face. He holds too much happiness and fearlessness in him to be frowning. So she takes a step closer, looking up at him through her lashes as her fingers move from his cheek to his chin. Pulling his head up, she smiles at him. He doesn't smile back as she leans forward until their faces are only a mere centimeter apart. "You weren't the Knight I wanted," she repeats slowly, "but maybe I didn't _want_ a Knight."

Merlin's eyebrows furrow in confusion as a different frown forms on his lips. "What?"

Morgana grins as she pulls away a bit and tilts her head to the side. "When you came out onto the tournament grounds during the announcement of the jousting tournament competitors, you didn't boast about your title, your family, or Kingdom, and you didn't list off a bunch of your achievements like the other Knights did. You made eye contact with me once, and you cleverly avoided taking off your helmet... I knew you weren't a Knight."

"And yet you gave me your favor?"

Morgana nods, "It was for that particular reason that I gave you my favor. I have Knights falling at my feet every other day, Merlin.. but a man who would defy the King and his court right under their noses. A man who made me have to ask him to carry my favor. A man who lives a life of adventure and spontaneity... such a man is rare... the prospect excited me, and I knew that I wanted that man to carry my favor."

Merlin lowers his head, "But I am not that man. I'm a servant, who-"

"Who was victorious in all your matches except when it came to Arthur." Morgana cuts him off softly. "Because of your loyalty to him."

Merlin looks up at her again with a curious look. "How do you know he didn't win fair and square?"

Morgana shrugs, "I don't... but you hesitated during that last round... others may not have known, but I did."

The manservant is silently surprised at that. "How?"

Morgana grins, "I could say that I'm more observant than most, but that's a lie... the truth is, I confronted Sir Zane's stable boy right before I came here."

Merlin frowns. He's not angry that Porter told Morgana, but he had thought the boy to be a bit more resilient. Did Porter just blurt the truth out to the King's ward?

Morgana chuckles and touches his arm. "Relax, Merlin. Porter didn't give up your identity per se."

"Then what did he tell you?"

"I asked him why he helped you escape when they announced you in second place. I saw him drop something on the ground that scared Sir Zane's horse away."

"And?"

"And he wouldn't tell me anything... until I told him that I already knew you weren't a Knight. He then proceeded to let me know that he's a man of honor and that the truth, is not his to tell. I respect that. All he _did_ convey, is that despite you not being a real Knight, you've been a more honorable man than any Knight he has ever met, and you _would've_ won the tournament if you really wanted to... not Arthur."

Merlin relaxes and smiles to himself. As flattering as it is, he knows that he would've lost from the get go if it hadn't been for his magic. "That was very kind of him... but that still doesn't explain how you knew it was me."

At that, Morgana smiles. "I suspected it was you when I met you in the stables earlier... I knew I saw the man in Sir Zane's armor go up there... but I couldn't be sure."

"So what gave me away?"

"You."

"Me?" Merlin asks confusedly.

"And Porter." Morgana nods, "You asked me at the stables if I had any message to convey to Sir Zane... you told me that you knew his stable boy."

Merlin nods, still unsure of how that ties into her finding out that he was the impostor.

"Porter claimed not to know you when I asked him where you'd been during the tournament... and then he made up an excuse about a mouse and fled. I put two and two together and figured it out."

"But why did you suspect it was me?"

"Oh please, Merlin." Morgana scoffs and rolls her eyes, "your eyes, voice, skin, and frame gave you away..." she trails off as she looks up at him with a grin that Merlin had never seen from her before. "I suppose I have a little confession to make."

Merlin's eyebrows shoot up on his forehead, having not expected the Lady Morgana to confess anything.

"Believe it or not, I've been watching you for a while. Long enough to notice the way you do or say things... I instantly recognized the way you spoke, moved, walked, and bowed when we were down in the arena... still, I couldn't be sure until Porter confirmed my suspicions." She inhales deeply as she raises her hand and presses a finger to her bottom lip.

Merlin sighs and stares at her. "Okay, you got me... are you going to tell Uther? Perhaps even Sir Zane himself?"

Morgana looks bewildered. "Why in the world would I do _that_?"

"Because I broke the law? I reckon there are still guards in the city, searching for me... well, searching for whoever was the impostor, which was me."

Morgana smiles, "I could... but luckily for you, Merlin... I like you." She quirks an eyebrow at him, silently waiting for his reaction. Apparently, the man is quite clueless because his only reaction, is to blink at her. "You intrigue me." Morgana adds as an afterthought.

Merlin laughs softly, "I hardly see why... I'm just a boring manservant."

"I would've believed you, but after watching you nearly win an entire jousting tournament, I'd say that's a lie."

Merlin swallows hard, looking everywhere but at the King's ward. This is exactly why he feared being discovered as the impostor. No one would believe that he's an ordinary man after that bloody tournament! His stomach flips when Morgana reaches forward and touches his forearm.

"You're hiding something... something more than just being surprisingly good with a lance."

"I'm not hiding anything, Milady."

Morgana chuckles and shakes her head. "Fine... don't tell me now. But when you're ready, I'll be waiting." With that, she leans up, pulling his face down towards her and kissing him directly on the lips.

Merlin's eyes widen in surprise before he closes them and kisses her back. When they pull apart for air, he tries not to look as confused as he feels.

Morgana smiles adoringly at the look on his face. "Like I said, Merlin. You're not the Knight I wanted because you're so much _more_ than that." She winks at him before turning away and walking to the door. She pauses when Merlin calls to her.

"Milady."

"Yes?" Morgana asks expectantly.

Merlin glances down at his wrist and raises it so she can see the silk blue and white ribbon still tied around it. "Do you want your token back?"

Morgana smiles and shakes her head. "Keep it."

"As a reminder of how idiotic I was to pose as a Knight?"

The Kings ward laughs. "As a reminder that you're _still_ my victor... and that I'll be waiting." She smiles fondly before finally making her way out and to her chambers.

The manservant continues to stand there with a dumbstruck expression on his face. He has a strong feeling that the Lady Morgana already knows about his secret. His magic. He takes in a shaky breath and takes a seat by the table to think.

By the end of the night, the manservant had made up his mind. He won't tell Morgana his secret _now_... but when he's ready, he will.

...

A/N: Don't know how I feel about this. But I hope you guys like it. I tried. Anyway, the next and final chapter will have a time jump because I'm planning to write it as a sort of epilogue. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!

-McDiggin'It


	6. Epilogue

Title: Servant in Shining Armor

...

A cool breeze blows across the expanse of the Lady Morgana's chambers, and she shivers. A whisper greets her ears before she feels the warmth of her sheets pull up around her, enveloping her in a cocoon of contentment. Blinking her eyes open, a small smile forms on her lips.

On a chair beside her bed, the man she has come to know as her lover sits, staring at her with a look of wonder on his handsome face.

She grins and moves to sit up, but he stops her.

"Don't." He says softly. "Stay right there."

Her eyebrows furrow in confusion as she looks down at his side of the bed, now covered up with the sheets. "What's wrong?" She asks and glances at him with a questioning look. "Why are you not in bed and why are you looking at me like that?"

He shakes his head and smiles lovingly at her. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Morgana asks, utterly baffled by his odd behavior.

"How do you manage to look like a goddess every morning?"

At this, Morgana laughs before stopping and blinking at the serious look on his face. "You're serious."

Merlin nods. "I've seen beautiful women go to sleep looking like Queens and waking up looking the dead." He shakes his head and smiles. "But not you... you- you manage to look even more beautiful than you did last night."

A blush forms on Morgana's cheeks as she sits up and faces him. "I'm going to ignore that comment about whatever other women you've seen because you ended it cleverly, but what on earth are you talking about?" She laughs softly. "Come back to bed. It's still early and Arthur can survive without you for another hour or so."

Merlin shakes his head, "Not yet... I want to remember you like this. I want to commit this to my memory."

The Lady Morgana furrows her eyebrows at the manservant. "What are you on about, Merlin? Are you going somewhere?"

"No."

"Well then why do you have to commit the way I look in the morning to memory?"

He shrugs, "So I can remember it always."

She laughs and shakes her head. "Then just look at me every morning."

Merlin chuckles, "That's what I'm doing, Milady."

Morgana quirks an eyebrow at him. "Stop being a bloody tease and get your arse in my bed, Merlin." She scolds jokingly as she grabs a handful of the sheets on his side of the bed and throws it back. "Get in." She demands, but something catches her eye and she glances down quickly at his side of the bed. On top of her silk bedding, lays a golden ring.

A gasp leaves her lips as she looks back up at the manservant. "Merlin... what... how..."

"I didn't steal it." He jokes, before getting up, picking up the beautiful piece of jewelry, and sitting back down on the bed. "It was my mothers. My fathers before that, and his mothers before that and so on." He looks up at her with shy eyes and smiles. "I know that it has only been two years since we've been together, but..." he shrugs, "I couldn't wait any longer. I asked Arthur for permission, since... well, he's the only real family you got left, and he said yes... there were disguised threats as well, among a promise to raise my rank from manservant to Court Sorcerer in about a week, but the point is, there's nothing standing between us now, so..." he trails off again and holds the ring up to the woman he has come to love with every bit of his heart. "Will you marry me?"

Morgana is at an utter loss for words. She had dreamed of this day many times. Yearned for this day, but she didn't think it would come so soon, if ever. Tears begin to fill her eyes and cascade down her cheeks as a small, desperate cry of joy escapes her lips and she catapults herself into Merlin's arms. She nods her head up and down as his arms envelope her with his warmth. "Yes... yes, of course I'll marry you, Merlin!" She laughs as she pulls away to kiss him. As he slips the gold band onto her finger, a thousand questions fill her head. But she only asks one. "What took you so long?"

Merlin laughs and raises her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers. "I had to wait for the go-ahead from Arthur... it took some time for him to convince the council of my new title."

Morgana smiles widely in awe of the man before her. Two years ago, she had thought that the only way to be with Merlin was if they eloped. But now, she's free to be with him whenever and wherever she pleases. It's all she could ever hope for, and she makes a mental note to thank Arthur later.

As they enjoy their last few minutes together before Merlin has to go back to his duties as manservant, Morgana sighs in contentment and looks at her betrothed. "One more week, and you'll finally get the title you deserve."

Merlin grins and kisses her cheek. "I don't know... the title of manservant didn't turn out so bad for me."

"How?" Morgana asks in confusion. She can't imagine having to do everything Arthur wants. All she knows is, she could never do what Merlin does everyday. She would probably die after the first day if she hadn't killed herself already.

Merlin gives her a pointed look. "Despite being a manservant, I still do what I want, I say whatever I want to Arthur and get away with it, and I got the girl I want. What else could I possibly ask for?"

She hums, supposing he's right. "Fine. So being a servant is okay, but to marry me, you have to become a noble."

"Which will happen by the end of the week." Merlin reminds her. "So for now, I'm still a servant, and I have duties I have to attend to." He smiles and slides out of bed.

Morgana pouts, "Can't you stay for a few more minutes?"

Merlin smiles and shrugs at her, "I am a servant, Milady... I cannot refuse an order from you."

At this, Morgana grins gleefully. "Then get in bed. I'll deal with Arthur when he comes looking for you."

"Is that an order?" Merlin asks playfully as Morgana pulls him down on top of her.

"Yes," she answers with a peck on his lips. "Now shut up and serve me." She laughs as Merlin begins to kiss his way down her body.

No one ever found out about him being the impostor, but to this day, people are still talking about it. Young children dress up as Knights, boasting not of being a Knight, but of being a brave and mysterious man in armor. She loves watching those little kids running around, pretending to be the man who pretended to be a Knight. Someday, she hopes to see her own son pretending to be the great Man in shining armor. But for now, she's happy and content with having the real one by her side.

Merlin, her servant in shining armor.

...

A/N: Hope you guys liked this final chapter. Not much of a chapter, but it's an ending. Thank you so much for reading, and please review! Will be updating my other stories soon!

-McDiggin'It


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